Watch 4,000 Endangered Toads Fly Commercial for Release Into Wild

People on a series of redeye flights from San Francisco to Puerto Rico in late October "had no idea they were flying with four thousand highly endangered toads," says Adam Fink, the zoological manager of the Oakland Zoo.

And rather than take up seat space or overhead bins, the tadpoles were stashed away in an insulated container in the plane's hold.

The tadpoles represent hope for the critically endangered Puerto Rican crested toad (Peltophryne lemur), the only toad native to Puerto Rico, and a unique species that had been thought extinct for much of the 20th century. Preferring arid or semi-arid areas of Karst limestone, the toads are identifiable by their unique head crests.

NEW HOPE FOR AN ENDANGERED TOAD: THOUSANDS OF TADPOLES RELEASED

On October 20, the tadpoles were unpacked and safely released into ponds in two protected national forests in Puerto Rico.

"This release will help bolster the numbers of the species significantly," says Fink, who leads reptile and amphibian breeding efforts at the Oakland Zoo.

The Puerto Rican crested toad has declined due to introduction to Puerto Rico of the marine toad and other invasive species, which eat the toads and tadpoles and out compete them for resources. The crested toad has also experienced loss of habitat from development and intensive sugarcane production.

Scientists thought the species had gone extinct by the 1930's, until a small population was rediscovered in the '60s. A few individuals were taken into captivity, where they have been bred ever since, at a number of zoos around the U.S. and Canada. Several of those zoos have been involved in a coordinated breeding program (facilitated by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association), which seeks to maximise the remaining genetic diversity of the species.

In October, a total of about eleven thousand of the tadpoles were released on the island. They were bred at the Oakland and three other zoos: the North Carolina Zoo, Omaha Zoo, and Sedgwick County Zoo (Wichita, Kansas).

GROWING TOADS

The Oakland Zoo has a special facility for breeding the toads, a species that was chosen because of its rareness and high priority among the scientific community (the zoo also works with several endangered California species). The zoo has 19 adult Puerto Rican crested toads on hand.

When it's time for breeding—based on a schedule coordinated across participating zoos—Fink places a few carefully selected individuals in a wine refrigerator. That readily available equipment has a fine level of temperature control, so the cold-blooded toads can be gradually cooled. When their body temperatures get to the mid-60s, they begin to hibernate.

After a few weeks, the toads are gradually warmed back up, causing them to wake up. Next, they are placed in a "rain chamber," a terrarium with plastic plants and a soil substrate. Regular dowsing with imitation rain puts the amphibians in the mood.

The toads are paired with potential mates, which are typically sent from other zoos on loan, in a plan to maximize genetic diversity. If they hit it off, the males fertilise the eggs of the females. Within a few days, those eggs develop into tadpoles, which can be carefully scooped up.

To count the little wigglers, Fink places the tadpoles into shallow pools and takes their picture. With a Sharpie, he counts each one on the image—recently he counted 4,096, a big increase over last year's 732. The tadpoles are then packed up and driven to the airport.

HOPEFUL FUTURE

Fink hopes the toad will begin to rebound and re-establish itself on its own over time, although challenges with invasive species and limited habitat remain. Still, wildlife managers are now more aware of the threats.

And the species does not seem to be susceptible to the invasive chytrid fungus that is attacking so many other amphibians around the world.

Frogs and toads play important roles in their ecosystems, Fink adds, from keeping insects in check to serving as a food source for larger animals.

"Without these reintroduction programs the species would probably be extinct," says Fink. "Seeing these animals released, and knowing that we are having an impact on this species, is why I got into this kind of work."

Brian Howard is a senior writer covering environment, science, technology, and other topics.

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